Drama group breaks out with glass asylum
THE members of Bunclody-Kilmyshall Drama Group created their own bit of history recently by staging their first ‘in-house’ production.
The play, ‘ The Glass Asylum’, was written by group member and Bunclody resident, Niall Ó Muiri, and as such was a new departure for the award-winning group.
A capacity crowd in Redmond’s Loft witnessed the play over four consecutive nights.
Niall has been involved in set building and decorating for many years and the members were delighted to be able to stage his play.
The group will also be bringing the play onto the one-act circuit this year too marking another first for the members.
Staging the play locally also provided the cast and crew with the opportunity to hone the performances and technical elements in front of a live audience.
‘ The Glass Asylum’ deals with one young man’s struggle with his mental health.
Niall wrote the play with both humour and compassion and it gave the audience in Bunclody an insight into the issues patients and staff encounter as they deal with mental illness and the ghosts of one man’s mind.
The show was directed by Tommy Murphy and the lead role of Raymond was played by Tim Connaughton.
Other characters in the play were acted by Fergal Kelly, Rebecca Murphy, John Donoghue, Michael Dunbar and Chris Atkinson.
The story centred around a character named Ray - a young man in his 20s.
The audience heard of his daily life in a mental institution and his past experiences, however, his story was told with plenty of black humour and comic elements to lighten the pathos of his life.
A spokesperson for the group said everyone involved was ‘overwhelmed’ by the response from the audience.
‘ They praised the affecting performances and the humour and sensitivity of the writing,’ said the spokesperson.
The group is proud and excited to present the work of one of its own members on the competitive circuit as they tour to compete in Goresbridge, Dundrum, Coolgreaney, and Gorey.
The piece is not Niall’s first foray into the world of theatrical writing.
A mental health professional, he was also the writer behind ‘ The Face in the Crowd’ which became a professional touring production.